The TMJ Association Conference on "Joint and Muscle Dysfunction of the Temporomandibular Joint," is scheduled for May 6-8, 2002 in Bethesda, Maryland. Based on a 1989 national survey conducted by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health, it is estimated that over ten million people in the United States have signs of temporomandibular disorders with as many as 80 percent of patients treated for these disorders being women. Since little research had explored these problems, in May of 2000 a national patient advocacy group, The TMJ Association, organized a meeting to assess the current state of the science and provide directions for future research. The TMJ Association and several agencies of the NIH, Office of Research on Women's Health, co-sponsored this meeting. It brought together an interdisciplinary team of experts in arthritis, TMJ pathology, bone, joint, muscle physiology, neuroscience, pain, genetics, endocrinology, immunology, bone angiogenesis, and tissue repair/engineering. The state of research was summarized and recommendations were made for future directions in research. The second proposed. TMJ Association Conference will focus on the molecular, cellular, tissue and mechanical features of the temporomandibular joint and masticatory muscle of which there is very limited understanding. Emerging work related to bone/joint angiogenesis will be presented. The fundamental goal of this conference is to enrich the pool of investigators directed to TMJ research by attracting experts from other fields and by stimulating the interest of young investigators in this emerging field of research. The Specific Aims of the conferences are: 1) To convene an internationally recognized interdisciplinary group of basic and clinical investigators in rheumatology and musculoskeletal diseases to address the biochemical, molecular vascular and biomechanical aspects of structure and functions that may lead to diseases/dysfunctions of the TM joint; 2) To promote the participation of young scientists through a travel award program; and 3) to interest new investigators and students in pursuing research on temporomandibular diseases and disorders.